About
Pontypridd
Pontypridd
is a town in Glamorgan, Wales, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It has a population of roughly 33,000, and is situated
12 miles (19 km) north of the capital city of Wales,Cardiff
The "ridd" in
Pontypridd is pronounced "reathe" (as in the word "breathe").

Pontypridd is often abbreviated "Ponty" by local residents.

Pontypridd
is a busy market town which is located at the confluence of the River Taf and River Rhondda rivers and at the junction of the Cardiff to Rhonddaand Merthyr Railwaylines.
It is now part of the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, which includes
The Rhondda, Cynon Valley and Llantrisant (one of the oldest towns
in
South Wales).

History
The
name Pontypridd is from "Pont-y-ty-pridd" the Welsh for "bridge
by the earthen house", refers originally
to a footbridge across the River
Taff where the River Rhondda flowed into it, at the end of which used
to be a primitive turf, or earth house. This bridge existed long before
the town's famous "Old Bridge".

Pontypridd 'Old Bridge'

Pontypridd 'Old Bridge'The
famous Pontypridd "Old Bridge" was
built in 1756 by William Edwards (1719-89), a self-taught mason,
from
Groeswen near Caerphilly, who was a minister of religion by profession.
Built in native stone, it was regarded at the time as an architectural
feat
because
it was the longest
stone-built single-arch bridge in Europe.

Rising 35 feet
(11 m) above the level of the river, the bridge is a perfect
segment
of
a circle, the chord of which is 140 feet (43 m). Notable features
are three holes of differing diameters through each end
of the bridge. The purpose of these was to reduce the weight
of the
bridge, although their aesthetically pleasing nature is a bonus.

It
is thought that this bridge is one of the most dangerous and least-used
of all the Welsh bridges. Work on the bridge began in 1746 at the
small village of Pont-y-ty-pridd, as it was known at the time.
Edwards made four attempts to build the bridge before completing
it in 1755. The whole project (including the three failed attempts)
cost the architect a total of £1,153 18s. 2g., and he made
a loss of some £600. The lastest survived by putting three
cylindrical holes graduated in size at either end, the largest
at the bottom.

Edwards
was also responsible for building bridges at Usk, Pontardawe, Bettws,
Dolauhirion, Wychtree, Aberafan,
and Glasbury. Some of these bridges were similar in design to
the bridge at Pontypridd, in that they consisted of one single
span,
but were not as steep. A plaque, designed by the sculptor W.
Goscombe John, was erected in memory of William Edwards on the
wall of his
old chapel at Groeswen.

Some
time afterwards, Pontypridd became known as Newbridge after the
bridge, and implying the existence of the old footbridge referred
to
earlier. The road bridge alongside, known as the Victoria bridge was
built in 1857 as the Old Brige presented deifficulties due to itsd steepness
of the design making it difficult to get carts across it.

From
the bridge looking up the river on the left is Craig-yr-Hesg headland,
which once gave its name to another footbridge, built of timber, across
the river known as Pont-yr-Hesg. Reference was made to the beauty of
this headland centuries ago. Craigyr-Hesg quarry, famous for its blue
pennant stone, is alongside.

Tabernacle
Chapel near the Edwards bridge was built in 1861 and has been purchased
by Pontypridd Town Council and has been converted into a Historial
and
Cultural Centre which will eventually house the town's first museum.
Note the steps leading down into the river, once where people were baptised

The
history of Pontypridd is closely tied to the coal and iron industries.
Sited as it is at the junction of the Rhondda and Taff valleys,
it became an important location for the transportation of coal
from the Rhondda and iron from Merthyr Tydfil, first via the Glamorganshire
Canal and later via the Taff Vale Railway, to the ports at Cardiff
and Barry. Because of its role in transporting coal cargo, its
train platform was at one time the longest in the world.

Notable
people from Pontypridd

Tom
Jones

Singer
of such worldwide top 40 hits as Delilah and The Green Green
Grass
of Home, born in village of Trefforest.